The Denver Broncos are lining up interviews with head coach candidates. Which candidates are the most surprising inclusions so far?
The Denver Broncos and general manager George Paton have assembled a list of eight candidates to be the team’s next head coach thus far.
Let’s take a look at those eight candidates:
- Dan Quinn, DC, Cowboys
- Kellen Moore, OC, Cowboys
- Eric Bieniemy, OC, Chiefs
- Aaron Glenn, DC, Lions
- Nathaniel Hackett, OC, Packers
- Jerod Mayo, LBs, Patriots
- Jonathan Gannon, DC, Eagles
- Kevin O’Connell, OC, Rams
There are plenty of names on this list that many in Broncos Country expected to see, but there are certainly some surprise candidates as well. Which candidates thus far are the most surprising?
Which Denver Broncos HC candidates are the most surprising?
1. Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs OC
It’s not surprising that Eric Bieniemy is getting a head coaching interview. It is somewhat surprising that he’s getting one from the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have seemingly been staying away from Bieniemy, or at least, they did in their previous head coaching search.
Bieniemy was on the Minnesota Vikings’ staff from 2006-2010 as a running backs coach, so George Paton is obviously at least somewhat familiar with him.
Bieniemy catches flak for the fact that Andy Reid is the one who primarily calls the plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it would be silly to think that Bieniemy has had absolutely nothing to do with the Chiefs’ offensive success the last few years.
For whatever reasons, Bieniemy simply hasn’t gotten a head coaching gig despite being considered by media and fans to be an obvious top candidate.
Even with his ties to the state of Colorado in the 90s and 2000s, Bieniemy has not been considered a legitimate candidate to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos even with a couple of openings…
…until now.
2. Aaron Glenn, Lions DC
There are quite a few former players on George Paton’s initial interview list. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion on the list thus far is Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.
The Broncos played a game against Dan Campbell’s Lions this year, and I’m not sure anyone expected Campbell’s coaching tree to potentially bear fruit this early on.
Aaron Glenn was a first-round draft pick back in 1994 and he played a very long NFL career, all the way up until 2008.
Glenn has worn a few different hats in his professional football career. Of course, he was a very successful player but he also got into scouting after his playing days, spending two years doing that with the New York Jets. He was also the general manager of a semi-pro team in Houston for a brief bit.
Before becoming the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, Glenn was a defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
Glenn just helped coach up Amani Oruwariye to a breakout season in 2021 and certainly has done a tremendous job at his previous stops developing defensive backs.
The Lions aren’t winning any awards for their talent defensively so Glenn was making lemonade in 2021, but his interview is still interesting.
He’s the only coaching candidate for the Broncos whose team is not in the playoffs and the Broncos can’t necessarily hire him in a lateral move if they are interested in him more as a defensive coordinator.
It will be fascinating to see what kind of impression Glenn is able to make because he might be one of the first candidates on the docket thanks to the Lions not being in the postseason.
3. Jonathan Gannon, Eagles DC
There might be some out there who are not surprised by the inclusion of Jonathan Gannon among the Denver Broncos’ potential head coach candidates, and that’s fair.
Gannon has been rumored as a potential head coach candidate and he’s helped the Eagles get to the postseason with a major midseason defensive turnaround.
The Broncos obviously experienced part of that when they took on the Eagles in the 2021 season and the Philadelphia defense took it to the Denver Broncos, sealing the game with a forced fumble on running back Melvin Gordon that was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Darius Slay.
With his background as a scout and as a defensive assistant coach, Gannon got his opportunity to be a full-time defensive coordinator after three years of strong work most recently with the Indianapolis Colts secondary.
Gannon spent four years before his time with the Colts as an assistant coach in Minnesota with the Vikings, so he already has a connection with Broncos general manager George Paton.
Those two not only share a connection as former Minnesota Vikings but also as former scouts.
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The scouting background definitely makes Gannon an intriguing candidate, not to mention the fact that his area of specialty — defensive backs — includes the two best players on the Denver Broncos’ roster right now in Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain II.